Goodbye
by Scabior's-Horcrux
Summary: The war is finally over. Hermione volunteers to search for survivors and take count of the deceased. See what happens when she sees someone she never thought she'd see again.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter nor any of the characters in this story, I only own the actual story. Everything else belongs to J.K Rowling. The lyrics in this fic are from the song, "If This Is Goodbye" by Lifehouse. Hope you enjoy reading this, and your reviews are very much appreciated!

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><p>The sun had long since made it's place high in the sky, but even down where Hermione was now, it's was dark. Patches of sunlight barely made their way through the tree tops. She was walking in the forestry trench far down below from where the covered bridge used to be. Since Seamus and Neville worked together on blowing it up to help prevent snatchers and Death Eaters from entering Hogwarts. They did a good job too on destroying the memorable bridge. Every step she took, she was walking on wooden debris.<p>

Kingsley, who seemed to have taken charge of everything not too long after they had made their victory, sent out people to areas to check for body counts, and if they're was any survivors.

Kingsley had originally wanted Ron to come down here to check on the body count, not believing that there would be any survivors. But Ron was grieving with his family on the loss of his fallen older brother. Hermione didn't want him to be taken away from his family just yet, so she volunteered to go in his place.

So that's why she was here now, she had already come across some mangled bodies and was slowly keeping track in her head the numbers to report back on how many escorts and body bags would be needed for down here.

The site was depressing. Bodies of fallen snatchers and other supporters of Voldemort were everywhere. It was so quiet, no noise could be heard besides her footsteps on debris, broken branches, and dead leaves. Everything about this place made her sick to her stomach. Hermione wasn't sure how much longer she could take it down here, a part of her wanted to go back up to the castle, to ask for someone else to do this. But she couldn't do that. She volunteered, and she wouldn't turn back now.

Hermione kept walking slowly, taking in the body count. Then something paused her in her walking. She thought she heard something, like something calling to her, a whisper.

She waited a moment but didn't hear anything again. Just as she was about to start moving again, not to far away from her she heard a barely audible voice,

"…beautiful…"

Hermione looked in the direction of where the voice had come, and gasped. Laying just a few feet away from her was a man, but she couldn't make out his appearance from where she stood. Acting on instinct she ran to his side. Then she stopped once she stood right over him, Hermione knew who this man was. It was the snatcher who had chased down Harry, Ron, and herself a little over a month ago. The snatcher that had almost seen through her magical wards. The past events that involved him played throughout her head perfectly, remembering him all to well.

She shifted her foot slightly, moving a piece of wood that was long enough to lay underneath his body, and she took notice of the painful expression that appeared on his face. Deciding right then, that she couldn't just turn her head the other way and keep walking.

Kneeling down beside his body, careful not to rustle the ground around and beneath him, and she overlooked him. His legs were sprawled out awkwardly, they were most likely broken. One arm was trapped underneath him, and there wasn't any doubt in her head that it was broken and probably dislocated as well. Hermione's eyes traveled up further to his face, a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth that was open as he was breathing heavily. The man's bright blue eyes that she remembered so well, were still as bright as before, and they were scanning her face in some kind of trance. As if he was contemplating if she was really there or just a hallucination.

"I'm here." Hermione whispered to him in a soothing voice. He raised his free arm up to her face slowly, and his fingers lightly brushed her cheek, his bright blue eyes lit up. He was finally believing that she was really there with him.

Then, his hand reached behind her head and grasped at her hair tight, but not painfully tight. Hermione let out a surprised gasp as he brought her down to his face with one swift jerk of his arm, and she could hear him give a small sniff in her locks that were draped in his face.

"…you…smell…like…vanilla…." He whispered in admiration as he let go of her so she could sit back up in the same position that she was in before. Hermione looked down at him and felt bad, it seemed that even talking caused him a lot of pain.

"I'll go get you some help." Hermione told him reassuringly, and made to get up only to feel his hand clasp around her wrist to keep her from moving. She looked at him, somewhat fearful - even with his slightly paralyzed state, as well as confusion. Didn't he want help? But it didn't take longer than a second for her to realize that there wasn't enough time to go get him help. The way his chest was rising and falling with trouble and the steady flow of blood was still coming from his mouth, and she could only guess the amount of internal injuries he was suffering.

Hermione looked up for a brief moment to see that the trees above were missing branches in several places. The debris from the bridge as well as all of the fallen men had taken the branches away, but it seemed that most of the branches painfully broke his fall from smacking onto the hard ground. And since she had been here, the only things that he seemed to be capable of moving was his right arm and his head. There was a high chance that he was probably paralyzed from a spinal injury.

There was no help for this man, he was slowly slipping away and all she could do was sit here and watch. The way he looked at her, it was as if he was silently pleading for her not to leave him there. He didn't want to die alone.

Hermione changed from her kneeling position and sat Indian style beside him, she took his hand between hers and held it to her chest. She silently began to sing.

_And daylights, craving._

_Sunshine on this frozen heart._

_I am wishing you well._

_Wondering how you are._

_If you and I are going under,_

_Maybe we can both recover._

_And find forgiveness for each other._

_Even if this is goodbye._

_And time heals,_

_But these scars keep on tearing us apart._

_And sometimes ending is the only place to start._

_If you and I are going under,_

_Maybe we can both recover._

_And find forgiveness for each other._

_Even if this is goodbye._

_Is goodbye, Is goodbye…_

_If you and I are going under,_

_Maybe we can both recover._

_And find forgiveness for each other._

_Even if,_

_If what we had is really over._

_If fate is out there we discover._

_Let's find forgiveness for each other._

_Even if this is goodbye._

Hermione didn't know what came over her, to sing to this man. Perhaps she wanted him to slip away in piece, and she wanted him to know that even though the grief he had caused for her and her friends, she forgave him.

His fingers wrapped themselves tightly around one of her hands that had been holding onto his. Hermione looked him in the eyes, and saw what he was feeling. In this horrible place, surrounded by the dead, he was at peace.

"…you are…definitely…my favorite…" He whispered, a smirk tugged at his lips.

Hermione noticed that his breathing was beginning to slow with each breathe that escaped his lips. Tears threaten to leak from her eyes, but they didn't fall. No one deserved this. No matter how cruel they were, or what they did. Nobody deserved to die this way, the way that he was dying. This man wasn't even cruel to her or her friends, all he did was his job. He didn't deserve this painful and slow death. Being down here, all alone for so many hours surrounded by dead people that he might've talked with before, laughed with; suffering extensive pain for so long, awaiting death that was taking its time to come for him.

_I'm so sorry. _She whispered in her head, apologizing that he had to go through so much pain for a war that he might've not have ever wanted to be apart of in the first place.

Finally, she felt his fingers go lax in hers.

Hermione looked at his once beautiful, bright blue eyes that were dull. All of the life was gone from them, they were empty. His face still bore the same serene expression that he carried for the last moments of his life.

Hermione slid his eyelids closed and that's when the tears slowly fell from her face.

Here she was, holding the hand of a man that she hand never really learned the name of, to her chest as her hands clutched at them harder. It wasn't fair for anyone to die this way. The war was finally over, and no one would have to suffer this fate again. But no one should've ever had to experience this in the first place.

Hermione sat there for a while. Holding the hand of the snatcher, who appeared to be asleep beside her.

He had died a happy man.

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><p><strong>AN: I watched DH2 last night and as soon as I finished watching it, this idea came to my head so I wrote it up this morning. Even though I am in denial that Scabior is dead. I believe he apparated. Y'know, since he's a wizard and the wards around Hogwarts are down! Any-who, did you guys enjoy reading? What did you think?**

**A friend of mine read this and asked me about the lyrics when in came to finding forgiveness in each other, and she asked "What does Scabior have to forgive Hermione for?" Okay. Pretty much it's just lyrics that she's telling Scabior she forgives him for his misdeeds. But I suppose if you want to get technical like my friend did, then she's apologizing for lying to him about her name when they first met. Obviously he knows now that she's Hermione Granger and not Penelope Clearwater. It was the only misdeed she did to him, even though it was for her survival. Yada yada yada. It's my fic. Let me write it! **

**Also, I wanted to let you guys know that I am going to be updating Hesitate in the future. I just don't know when yet because I haven't had my muse to continue writing the chapter I was working on. But I am working on other Scabmione fics, as well as some Dramione too. So you guys can always expect something new from me.**

**Have a wonderful day!**


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